The Difference Between Comic Investing & Comic Book Collecting

I know some may be reading the title of this hub and thinking, The difference between comic investing and comic book collecting? Aren't they the same thing?

The myth is that they are the same thing, because most people investing in comic books are also comic book collectors. The line between the two can often be convoluted.

However, there are differences, and I'm going to reveal the major difference between investing in comics and collecting comic books. Want to take a guess?

The real difference between those purely investing in comic books and those collecting in comics is that comic collectors collect what they like. Pure comic investing seek out comics to invest in for pure investment profit and return.

When I was kid, I was a comic book collector. I bought comics that I liked, because I liked reading the stories and the characters. I got a particular title to read and I followed the stories and story arcs.

Sure, I did the whole nine - keeping my comics in plastic sleeves with backing boards, while placing them in comic book boxes for safe keeping. I did wonder if they would be valuable someday, but it was not my main concern.

I bought and collected what I liked. I didn't really seek out comics to invest in. I sought out comic books to read and enjoy.

When I learned more about the world of comic investing, I learned a principle that many successful comic dealers use. It would be my guiding principle when it comes to investing in comics and for seeking out comics to invest in.

Don't Get What You Like. Get What's In Demand!

Now, don't get all excited. There's a lot more to comic investing than that. New books that come out are in demand also, but they are not good investments. I wont discuss why modern comic book aren't good investment comics in this hub. if you want to know why they aren't, just visit the link. It will bring you to an article explaining why modern comic investing is a bad idea.

What I am going to discuss is that most comic investors buy purely on the investment factor. Sure, I like Spider-Man, and I like the X-Men also. I will get investment comics from those two titles, but I do it purely on investment criteria.

For example, I got a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 a few years back purely as a calculated investment pick. I didn't read it. In fact, I stored it in a comic box, marinating it just a bit before I send it off to get it CGC graded. Had I read the story before? Yes, in a reprint comic.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Iron Fist, but I bought his 1st appearance in Marvel Premiere #15. I knew that key issues from both the silver and bronze age comics were being sought out, so I figured I better get this one before it becomes ridiculously expensive a few decades from now.

I'm also not a big Justice League of America fan also, but I invested in the silver age Justice League of America #9 (origin of the Justice League). It was a great investment comic book choice.

Most comic investors are pedigree seekers. What is a pedigree seeker? It means they seek out the highest graded copy of a certain key issue comic that has investment potential. That's at the high end of comic investing.

You don't have to seek out the highest graded comic investments. I don't. I don't have the budget to do that. Actually, many in comic collectors and investors are starting to hit those mid grade and lower grade books from the silver age of comics.

Why is that? It's because they're more affordable and still primed to go up in value. The demand is already starting to shift towards lower grade silver age keys. One main key is to get a comic before a huge surge in demand happens.

I wrote a hub about one secret tip to help you to do this. You can visit the link to discover how to foresee a huge demand for certain comic books to help your choices concerning comic book investing.

So that's the main difference between comic book collectors and those purely investing in comics. If you're interested in comic investing be sure to look at my other posts on the subject as well as take a look at my blog www.totalcomicmayhem.com.